The long hair is history, but John Ponts still has a skater’s soul. The pilot for Era Alaska arrived in America’s living rooms courtesy of the Discovery Channel’s Flying Wild Alaska, but he has a back story—he learned to fly between trips and appearances in skateboarding competitions. In fact, Ponts says he took up flying so that he could search for empty swimming pools to skate in, but also as a back-up plan for when he could no longer earn money on the pro skateboard circuit.
WHO: John Ponts
OCCUPATION: Pilot, Era Alaska
HOURS: 4,500
EXTRA: Ponts can be seen skating on Season Two of Flying Wild Alaska, when he and members of the Creature Skate Team put on a demo for the residents of Unalakleet.
EARLY CHALLENGES… Paying for my flight lessons. I was working, skating, traveling, and trying to pay for my training out of pocket, and sometimes my lessons would be spread out. I soon realized that was costing more in the long run. So, instead of taking a lesson once in a while, I would save up enough to where I would be able to focus on the ground work, evaluate each lesson afterwards, and knock out a rating real quick.
HARDEST LESSONS TO LEARN… Patience. I may not show it when I’m teaching or flying with a new first officer, but deep down I’m trying to crawl out of my skin.
AVIATION ACTIVITY… I have always loved road trips and adventures. If an airplane is involved, I’m stoked! I’ve had the opportunity to make a couple cross-the-country flights where we just hopped in, opened up the charts, and figured it out. Wherever you end up along the way is where you lay your head.
FAVORITE AIRPLANE… My favorite airplane is the one I’m flying at any given moment. When I started out, I decided I wanted to fly as many different airframes as possible and obtain as many ratings as I could. I would have to say, though, I think airplanes with radial engines are damn sexy!
ADVICE FOR STUDENTS… Challenges are the best part of learning. If there weren’t any, it would be boring. Giving up can be deadly in an airplane, so train yourself early to never give up and find a way to make it work.
Ponts was a stunt double in the movie Lords of Dogtown (2005).
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